Stepbrother Charming(73)
“Oh, God! Fuck. Damn it!” Gary's beet red face stops and stares at us. He takes one look at us half undressed and stumbles backward, smashing his trembling fists against the walls. “It's true, it's true, it's goddamned true...”
I notice he's holding a newspaper or magazine in one hand. Ty steps forward, his lips quivering like a dog getting ready to bite.
“Something you wanna say, Dad? Had a funny feeling you'd greet us like this after we came home. Didn't put a scratch on your precious Stingray, in case you're worried. You're gonna give us the same respect.”
He rips himself up in a flurry and stands tall. For a second, I think he's stupid enough to try getting through Ty, into the room, but he stops. The newspaper flies out of his hand and hits the floor where we're standing.
“I've got nothing else to say to you that these goddamned jackals haven't said for me, you ungrateful little idiot. I've got nothing to say to this fucking whore either!”
He shoots an accusatory finger toward me. Despite standing behind Ty, I want to dig a hole into the floor and hide forever. Seeing this billionaire aim his long-bottled hellfire my way makes my heart want to stop.
Still, I have to see what the hell's got him so riled up. Before Ty can lunge and beat his father to smithereens, I reach in front of him, snatch up the paper, and give it a good shake.
BILLION DOLLAR BEDFELLOWS! GARY STERNER'S SON SEXING HIS NEW SISTER, EX-REP. AMANDA FROST'S DAUGHTER!
WHO EVER SAID LOVE, POLITICS, AND MONEY CAN'T MINGLE?
Okay, now my heart really does stop. I barely have the energy to tug at Ty's sleeve and whisper his name. His eyes dart down to the tabloid and skip over the awful headlines.
We're both staring at the same thing – the pictures. Several are from our unforgettable Fourth of July holiday.
There's Ty and me walking around the beach, hand in hand, smiling as we hold our ice cream cones. Then we're on the deck of the ship, locked in a passionate kiss. The real killer is the one that's half blurred. We're both naked and horizontal on the deck while fireworks light up the sky, a thousand word picture carefully shot by some kinda camera with an amazing zoom from the marina.
I want to gag. I want to die. Mostly, I just want to bawl, and the tears are coming, stabby and brutal.
We tried so hard to keep our relationship under wraps for our own sakes. Obviously, it wasn't hard enough.
“You piece of fucking shit!” Ty explodes, eyes fixed on his father, ripping the paper out of my hands and crunching it in his fist. “Who the fuck did you hire to tail us?”#p#分页标题#e#
Gary snorts. “Jesus! You think I did this? My God, I really raised a dipshit for a son. Why the hell would I destroy myself when I have your careless, degenerate tryst with your sister to do it for me?”
Ty doesn't move as his dad steps toward us, this time crossing the threshold to his room. I cover my face just as Gary stabs a finger in his chest.
“You're the one who's getting off easy. I've had to live with this nightmare for days. The butt of every late night talk show joke and gossip rag. Poor Mandy, she's heartbroken. She'll be lucky to hold a state rep seat again before she's hit sixty with this kind of scandal. And it's all because you pissed off Jacobsen.”
“Jacobsen?” Ty shakes his head.
My heart slams against my ribs. I feel like I'm going to faint if this was my fault.
“Martin Jacobsen, dummy!” Gary stabs his son in the chest again with his rigid finger. “You know, the big environmental nut. The same man your sick little sister couldn't hold down a job with. Apparently, some knuckle dragging animal got mad because Martin's son asked her out, and fractured the kid's jaw. I know the Neanderthal was you, Tyler, and don't you fucking deny it.”
Gary looks like he's about to blow up and shower us in his gore. Ty looks at the floor, too stunned to speak, undoubtedly feeling the same ruthless ice crawling across my brain.
“Do you know I was supposed to meet the Vice President of the United States next week to talk technology?” Gary growls, shaking his head. “Now, my own goddamned shareholders won't talk to me. It's your fault, Son! Yours, and this sorry little bitch's too! This marriage was a big mistake. Mandy was supposed to bring me closer to the sun, not let her whore of a daughter burn me down.”
His eyes hit me again, blazing with the same nuclear blue fire I've seen in Ty's. I'm stumbling backwards in slow motion, the tears blurring everything.
I feel trapped, pinned down. It's just as bad as the night Karl tried to force himself on me, before Ty burst in to save me. Gary's icy stare violates me, forces me to realize that the damage is already done. Ty can't save me this time when we're already fucked.